MotoGP announced on Wednesday morning (the 7th) a series of changes to the schedule of its race weekends for the 2027 season. Different qualifying formats for the Sprint and the main race, and the participation of all riders in the first round of the grid-drawing process, are among the novelties.
At present, MotoGP race weekends feature three practice sessions, two on Friday and one on Saturday, with the second of these determining the ten riders who advance directly to Q2 of the qualifying, which sets the grid for the Sprint and the Grand Prix on Sunday.
From 2027 onward, Friday in the premier category of global motorcycle racing will feature two free practice sessions, one lasting 45 minutes and the other 30 minutes. On the same day, there will be the Sprint qualifying, with a single phase, all riders on track, and 15 minutes of activity.
Saturday will include a brief 20-minute free practice, the qualifying for the main race, with all riders taking part in Q1 and the 12 fastest moving on to the pole-position contention in Q2. The day will conclude with the Sprint, with the grid set on Friday.
Sunday will no longer feature the warm-up, as is currently the case. When the garages open for installation laps on the track, riders will have ten minutes to complete as many laps as they wish before then heading out for the race, with the grid defined on Saturday.
Until 2027, the weekend format remains the one used in recent years. MotoGP returns to the track this weekend with the Indonesian Grand Prix, scheduled for the Mandalika circuit.
